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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council clarified tax provisions on items ranging from fryums to sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to reduce disputes.
It also approved decriminalisation of some offences but could not find the time to discuss half its agenda including the setting up of a keenly-awaited GST Appellate Tribunal.
The council, which met after a gap of six months over videoconference and under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, decided to curtail its meeting after some States’ ministers cited ‘other committed business’.
As many as three ministerial groups’ reports on critical issues including the taxation regime for tobacco and gutkha businesses, the setting up a tribunal to settle disputes with taxpayers as envisaged under the GST law of 2017, and the determination of the tax treatment for online gaming, casinos and horse-racing were put on hold until the next meeting of the Council.
Of the 15 items on the agenda, eight were taken up and approved by the Council including a decision to scrap the 5% GST levy on a cattle feed ingredient — husk of pulses; and the reduction of the levy on ethyl alcohol used by refineries to blend with petrol to 5% from 18%.
Extending the 5% tax levy for ethyl alcohol, allowed for oil marketing companies to blend with petrol, to refineries will further reduce our dependence on imported crude and save precious foreign exchange.
The Council’s major decision was to decriminalise GST offences that pertain to obstruction or preventing any officers from discharging their duty, deliberate tampering of material evidence and failure to supply the information, while doubling the threshold limits of tax amounts for initiating prosecution from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore for all offences other than those involving fake invoices.
News
Pendency poses a hurdle to Supreme Court’s role as protector of citizens’ rights (Page no 6)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has said the very purpose of the Supreme Court is to hear every little cry for personal liberty and protection of fundamental rights.
But pendency is a perennial drawback that affects the court’s role as the timely protector of citizens’ rights.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has reportedly said the court is bogged down by “frivolous” public interest litigations and bail applications.
The “extra burden” has reduced the efficacy of justice administration. The government’s zeroing in on bail applications as one of the reasons for slow justice comes at a time when 10 bail pleas are heard every day by all 13 Benches of the Supreme Court.
The CJI has made it clear that bail petitions deal with the question of personal liberty and should not be delayed.
Moreover, PILs like the one for an independent and neutral mechanism for appointment of Election Commissioners have raised important issues, with a Constitution Bench recently pointing out orally how the government is paying mere “lip-service” to the independence of the poll body by appointing bureaucrats who cannot even complete the statutory six-year tenure in office.
In fact, an exasperated Chief Justice Chandrachud in November had remarked that “widened access to the Supreme Court” is making things dysfunctional. The Chief Justice said the judiciary is “overburdened because of the system”.
Public litigations claim a large portion of the court’s space with 2,870 of them pending. Special leave petitions and writ petitions amount to 4,331 and 2,209, respectively, of the court’s pendency.
There are 487 pending election matters in the top court. The total number of pending cases concerning crimes against women relating to “harassment, dowry cruelty and death, eve teasing, domestic violence” are 283 according to data from the Integrated Case Management Information System.
Be it in Galwan or Tawang, our personnel have shown unmatched bravery: Rajnath (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 3, Internal Security)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended the Indian Army for showing unmatched bravery during the Galwan Valley clash and the recent incident at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Mr. Singh asserted that India has no intention to capture the land of other countries, but will always be ready if anyone tries to cast an evil eye.
He was addressing the 95th Annual Convention of Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He said India aims to become a superpower which works for the welfare of the world.
While 20 soldiers were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15, 2020, several soldiers were injured in clashes with the PLA in Tawang’s Yangste on December 9.
Mr. Singh also took an indirect dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “doubting” the government’s handling of the border row with China.
Any amount of praise is not enough for the armed forces for the way they displayed bravery and valour, be it in Galwan or Tawang.
The process of taking the society towards the right path is called ‘rajniti’ (politics). I do not understand the reason behind doubting anyone’s intention always.
China’s threat is clear, I have been saying this for the past 2-3 years, Government is hiding the facts and ignoring it...they are preparing for offensive preparation in Ladakh and Arunachal, Indian government is sleeping, they do not want to listen, China is preparing for war. Government does events based work, not strategic planning,” Mr. Gandhi said on December 16.
Rajasthan sanctuary gets protection against ESZ shrinking (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The famous Tal Chhapar blackbuck sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Churu district has received a protective cover against a proposed move of the State government to reduce the size of its eco-sensitive zone.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has also taken up a major project for the conservation of raptors in the sanctuary, spread in an area measuring 7.19 sq. km.
The Rajasthan High Court has intervened through a suo motu public interest litigation to protect the sanctuary, taking cognisance of reports that its area was going to be reduced to three sq. km. under pressure from mine owners and stone crusher operators. The court recently ordered a “complete prohibition” on any action to reduce the wildlife sanctuary’s area.
The sanctuary is host to about 4,000 blackbucks and other wild animals, over 40 species of raptors and more than 300 species of resident and migratory birds.
The raptors, which include predators and scavengers, are on top of the food chain and control the populations of small mammals, birds and reptiles as well as insects.
A Division Bench at the High Court’s principal seat in Jodhpur noted that some exotic species of animals seemed to have been destroyed or relocated to other areas suitable for their survival, following an increase in human population around the sanctuary, and unplanned and rampant construction activities.
The court directed the authorities concerned to complete the formalities for declaration of the eco-sensitive zone surrounding Tal Chhapar at the earliest.
The sanctuary earlier had a large population of desert foxes and similar burrowing animals, while the large colonies of the only herbivorous lizard, the spiny-tailed lizard, exist as the prey base for raptors.
The issues confronting the sanctuary include hyper-aridity, grazing pressure, the invasive weed Prosopis juliflora, and salt mines in the vicinity. The sanctuary’s area is insufficient for its large blackbuck population.
Govt. says breast cancer not a matter of ‘national’ or ‘extreme’ urgency (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Breast cancer, by the government’s estimate, is the leading cause of cancer in women in India however it doesn’t qualify as a matter of “national” or “extreme” urgency in the Health Ministry’s reckoning, suggest court filings as part of an ongoing case in the Kerala High Court.
The case involves Saroja Radhakrishnan (now deceased), and diagnosed with a type of breast cancer called ‘Luminal A,’ which is among the most invasive and comprises the bulk of invasive breast cancer cases.
In her petition, in January this year, she argued that one of the drugs prescribed for her condition, Ribociclib, was “too expensive and unavailable at an affordable price” because it was patented and therefore India’s generic drug makers, who routinely manufacture cheaper versions, were legally prohibited from making a version of the drug.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a report this month said that 100.5 per 1,00,000 women were being diagnosed with breast cancer.
From the approximately 1,82,000 cases of breast cancer at present, the report has projected cases to rise to 250,000 by 2030. There was no break-up of how many of these were Luminal A cancer.
According to the World Health Organisation, there were 23 lakh women diagnosed with breast cancer and 6,85,000 deaths globally.
At the end of 2020, there were 78 lakh women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.
The petitioner said that she and her husband had a joint income of ₹74,400 a month whereas expense on Ribociclib cost her ₹58,140.
Adding other medications, the cost of medication was well above what she could afford and therefore the “unaffordable price of the medicine” impacted her right to health, which is a fundamental right under Article 21.
Science
NASA set to conduct first global water survey from space (Page no 10)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
A NASA-led international satellite was launched from Southern California, on a major Earth science project to conduct a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time.
Dubbed as SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography, the advanced radar satellite is designed to give an unprecedented view of the life-giving fluid covering 70% of the planet, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.
A Falcon 9 rocket, owned and operated by billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial launch company SpaceX, was set to liftoff from the Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 170 miles (275 km) northwest of Los Angeles, to carry SWOT into orbit.
Nearly 20 years in development, the SWOT incorporates advanced microwave radar technology that scientists say will collect height-surface measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers in high-definition detail over 90% of the globe.
The data, compiled from radar sweeps of the planet at least twice every 21 days, will enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather and climate forecasts and aid in managing scarce freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions, according to researchers.
One major thrust of the mission is to explore how oceans absorb atmospheric heat and carbon dioxide in a natural process that moderates global temperatures and climate change.
Scanning the seas from orbit, the SWOT was designed to precisely measure fine differences in surface elevations around smaller currents and eddies, where much the oceans’ drawdown of heat and carbon is believed to occur. The SWOT can do so with 10 times greater resolution than existing technologies, according to JPL.
The SWOT’s ability to discern smaller surface features will help study the impact of rising ocean levels on coastlines. More precise data along tidal zones would help predict how far storm-surge flooding may penetrate inland.
Genes for long lifespan of banyan, peepal trees identified (Page no 10)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have carried out whole genome sequencing of banyan (Ficus benghalensis) and peepal ( Ficus religiosa) from leaf tissue samples.
They also undertook a comprehensive genome-wide phylogenetic analysis with 50 other angiosperm plant species, including four other sequenced Ficus species.
Genome sizes of these two Ficus species were corrected compared to the previously estimated genome sizes. The draft genome assemblies were over 392 Mbp for banyan and nearly 333 Mbp for peepal.
The work helped in identifying 17 genes in the case of banyan and 19 genes of peepal with multiple signs of adaptive evolution (MSA) that play a pivotal role in long-time survival of these two Ficus species.
The genes with multiple signs of adaptive evolution came about in response to population bottleneck faced by both trees around 0.8 million years ago. The study has been published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Undertaking the comparative evolutionary analyses of closely related plant species helped the researchers in precisely identifying the genes with evolutionary signatures in both plants.
Similarly, comparing other plant species with long lifespan in the comparative analysis helped in the identification of adaptively evolved genes, which could have played a significant role in longevity of both banyan and peepal tree species. The inclusion of coding genes from other Ficus species helped the researchers identify plausible species-specific genes responsible for the morphological characteristics and evolutionary adaptation in these two plant species.
Genes showing multiple signs of adaptive evolution in banyan were mainly associated with root development, leaf formation, metabolism, pollen tube and seed development and other developmental processes. The MSA genes of peepal trees were mainly associated with root development, reproduction, metabolism.
Reasons for treatment resistance in prostate cancer found (Page no 10)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Prostate cancer cell dynamics at a single-cell resolution across the timespan of the disease — from its beginning to the point of androgen independence, where the tumour no longer responds to hormone, deprivation therapy has now been characterised.
The study in mice, published in eLife, reveals an expansion of intermediate cells that occurs in prostate cancer, which correlates with resistance to treatment and poor clinical outcomes in humans.
These cells are castration-resistant, meaning they continue to grow in the absence of testosterone and could explain how prostate tumours become resistant to hormone-related treatments.
Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer, and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males in the U.S.
This is due to an incomplete knowledge of the cellular drivers behind the disease’s progression and the risk of progressing to castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
The prostate gland epithelium — a type of body tissue that forms the surface of glands and organs — is typically composed of two types of epithelial cells: basal cells and highly differentiated luminal cells (cells which have altered in form). However, a more stem-like, castration-resistant intermediate of the luminal cells has previously been proposed.
To study this further, the authors used a mouse model of the CRPC to create an ‘atlas of prostate cellular composition and evolution’ through the course of the disease.
A gene called Pten, which codes for a tumour-suppressing enzyme, is inactive in majority of advanced prostate cancer patients.
The team used a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing to compare the epithelial and non-epithelial cell-type populations in healthy mice and those lacking Pten.
FAQ
The challenges of quantum computing (Page no 11)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
The allure of quantum computers (QC) is their ability to take advantage of quantum physics to solve problems too complex for computers that use classical physics.
The 2022 Nobel Prize for physics was awarded for work that rigorously tested one such ‘experience’ and paved the way for its applications in computing – which speaks to the contemporary importance of QCs.
Several institutes, companies and governments have invested in developing quantum-computing systems, from software to solve various problems to the electromagnetic and materials science that goes into expanding their hardware capabilities.
In 2021 alone, the Indian government launched a National Mission to study quantum technologies with an allocation of ₹8,000 crore; the army opened a quantum research facility in Madhya Pradesh; and the Department of Science and Technology co-launched another facility in Pune.
Given the wide range of applications, understanding what QCs really are is crucial to sidestep the misinformation surrounding it and develop expectations that are closer to reality.
A macroscopic object – like a ball, a chair or a person – can be at only one location at a time; this location can be predicted accurately; and the object’s effects on its surroundings can’t be transmitted faster than at the speed of light. This is the classical ‘experience’ of reality.
For example, you can observe a ball flying through the air and plot its trajectory according to Newton’s laws. You can predict exactly where the ball will be at a given time. If the ball strikes the ground, you will see it doing so in the time it takes light to travel through the atmosphere to you.
Quantum physics describes reality at the subatomic scale, where the objects are particles like electrons. In this realm, you can’t pinpoint the location of an electron.
How can mRNA vaccines help fight cancer? (Page no 11)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
The results of a trial of an experimental cancer vaccine built on the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) platform, made by Moderna and MSD (Merck&Co.), have shown promising results, media announcements claimed last week.
Patients taking an immunotherapy drug Keytruda for advanced melanoma (a kind of skin cancer) were less likely to die or have the cancer recur, if they took the vaccine (mRNA-4157/V940) also, the companies said.
It was a small study, involving 157 patients. The vaccine showed a 44% reduction in the risk of dying of cancer or having the cancer progressSerious drug-related side effects occurred in 14.4% of patients who received the combination compared with 10% with Keytruda alone.
As a personalised cancer vaccine, it is tailor-made for every patient. As a consequence, it is expected to be very expensive to make.
The results too will have to be independently scrutinised by experts, western media has reported. But oncologists across the world have welcomed this as an exciting new opportunity in cancer care.
The personalised cancer vaccine uses the same messenger-RNA technology that was used to produce the COVID vaccine.
It allows the body’s immune system to seek and destroy cancerous cells, in this case melanoma, but with the hope that it could lead to new ways to fight other types of cancers too.
According to an article by Thomas Schlake et al, in RNA Biology, RNA as a therapeutic was first promoted in 1989 after the development of a broadly applicable in vitro transfection technique.
The refinement of the mRNA platform owes everything to COVID. Rapid advancements within a remarkable period of one year allowed the technology to gain several revolutionary steps ahead, in order for it to be used successfully to drive vaccines that work.